On April 21, restaurant owners and operators from across the Portland area came together at Breakside Brewery – Slabtown, located at 1570 NW 22nd Ave, for a WhatNow Media Group Accelerate event.
Part of WhatNow’s broader Accelerate Program, the event is designed to bring restaurant operators together with industry partners, creating opportunities for connection and collaboration.
The gathering was led by WhatNow Event Host Marian Ebhamen, alongside Caleb Spivak, founder and CEO of WhatNow Media Group, and Jack Gillooly, as guests spent the afternoon networking and engaging with others across the restaurant and hospitality space.
The event created space for operators to connect, exchange insights, and engage in conversations about their businesses in a collaborative setting.
Restaurants
The Accelerate event brought together restaurant operators from across the Portland area, including sit-down restaurants, cafés, dessert concepts, bar and tavern operators, and other emerging hospitality concepts.
Pamana: 15 NW 4th Avenue
Co-owners Ethan and Geri Leung represented Pamana, a food truck concept that will transition into a full-service restaurant, set to open September 3.
Aura Dorada: 2203 NE Alberta Street
Co-owners Natalia Martinez and Jorge Andrade represented Aura Dorada, which promises to bring together the community-gathering atmosphere of a café with the intimate setting of a cocktail bar.
Le Fragole: 3829 SE Division St
Co-owner Jennifer Fabbri represented Le Fragole at the event. Their signature dishes include Dubai chocolate–covered strawberries, creamy pistachio delights, rich dark chocolate creations, and authentic Italian gelato.
Sun Rice: 4090 N. Williams Avenue
Owner Ken Tran and director of operations Jane Barmore represented Sun Rice. This Filipino American restaurant started as a farmers market stand, grew into a pop-up residency, operated as a kiosk, and finally found its home on N. Williams Avenue in 2025.
Speakeasy Saloon: 2135 N Willis Blvd
Owner Zac Webster and operations manager Eliette Coausen represented Speakeasy Saloon, the latest concept from Dreamweaver Group. The concept aims to be a neighborhood spot with elevated cocktails.
Mikiko Mochi Donuts: 15320 NW Central Avenue
Co-owner Alex McGillivray attended the event to represent Mikiko Mochi Donuts. The business is known for selling gluten-free and nut-free donuts, and they also offer catering.
Bobadochi: 2017 NE Alberta Street
Co-owners Sunny Burden and Ramsy Zawideh represented Bobadochi, which opened in early 2026, and is well known for its boba tea drinks. As a diner, they also serve freshly-made breakfast and lunch items. Its boba tea drinks are one of the main draws to the business.
Strange-Bird: 2114 SE Clinton St.
Tyler Robb, owner of Strange-Bird, and Katie Danz, co-owner, attended the event. Strange-Bird, a concept serving seasonal wood-fired dishes and hand-tossed pizzas, is currently operating as a pop-up and may be planning a new brick-and-mortar location in Portland.
X Noodles & Dumplings: 870 NW 13th Avenue
Co-owners Jimmy Zhao and Mindy Li, and manager Jay Yan represented X Noodles & Dumplings at the event. This establishment is a full-service restaurant seating 40 inside.
Yui: 4246 SE Belmont Street
Owner Chalunthorn Schaeffer and manager Linda Sengoughai attended the event to represent Yui, a restaurant that reopened in Sunnyside following a two-year hiatus and a series of pop-ups.
808 Grinds: 10970 SW Barnes Road
Jensen Yip, co-owner; Tony Rigby, general manager; and D’Anne Erickson, operations manager, represented 808 Grinds, which reopened in Cedar Mill and plans to open its newest location by June 2026.
Zheng Hua Restaurant: 12424 SE Division Street
Co-owner May Ma represented Zheng Hua Restaurant. The new restaurant underwent new ownership and renovations following a rebrand from Vegas Chinese Restaurant.
The CreativeHomies/TheDownBeat/The Contrast Gallery: 433 NW 4th Avenue
Adewale “Wale” Agboola, co-owner, represented The Creative Homies, the group behind The Downbeat at 433 NW 4th Avenue, a multi-level venue that includes a jazz bar, a speakeasy concept, and creative spaces such as The Contrast Gallery, which was expected to open in January 2026.
In total, seven of What NowMedia Group’s Preferred Partners attended the event, representing a range of services across the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Gavin Jacobs, software relationship manager, represented Global Payments, while Bee Talmadge, sales manager, and Katie Grosz, restaurant partnerships, represented inKind.
Brian Neal, corporate sales representative, and Mychal Amel, corporate sales representative, represented Prudential Overall Supply, and Charles Belden, sales executive, represented Restaurant Technologies, Inc.: Automated Cooking Oil Management.
Jim Seibert, strategic hospitality partner, represented SpotOn.
WhatNow Media Group shares restaurant-opening news across 33 cities in North America, delivering breaking news and timely insights into yet-to-open brick-and-mortar businesses.
The industry-leading experts in WhatNow Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners help new businesses open and existing businesses grow.
Stay tuned for future Accelerate events from WhatNow Media Group throughout 2026. For more details, see the Accelerate page here.
Click here for a complete list of our partners. To learn more about becoming a preferred partner, click here.
